Confectionery product

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a confectionery product comprising a plurality of beads, each bead comprising an aqueous core, a hydrophobic first coating layer surrounding the aqueous core, and a hydrophilic second coating layer surrounding the first coating layer; to a confectionery product comprising these beads. The invention also relates to a method of production thereof.

The invention relates to confectionery products and components thereof.In particular, the invention relates to confectionery products whichincorporate a plurality of beads and to the associated methods ofproduction.

Many confectionery products include coatings, the coating may be hard,for instance many chocolate products are encased in a hard, oftenflavoured, sugar coating. One such coating is exemplified by WO03/088756 which describes a mint tablet coated with three distinctcoating layers. The first (innermost) layer surrounding the mint tabletcomprising a fat, the second layer comprising a hard sugar shell and thethird layer containing film forming agents. Soft coatings are alsoknown, for instance jelly bean products comprise soft, jelly-likecentres encased in a soft panned coating.

Some confectionery products will have a liquid centre at roomtemperature, for instance a chocolate liqueur will typically be formedfrom a hollow chocolate casing into which the liquid liqueur centre isplaced.

Some confectionery will incorporate bubbles and microcapsules, thepresence of bubbles in a chocolate product creates a smooth sensation asthe chocolate melts creating the illusion that the chocolate is meltingmore quickly. Aerated candies are also known, for instance cinder toffeeis an aerated form of toffee, wherein the bubbles create a tingling,crackling sensation when the toffee is consumed.

Microcapsules containing flavourings, such as those described in WO91/17821 are often utilised to delay and extend the flavour release of acomestible. Such capsules are typically formed by spray drying theflavouring onto a solid matrix.

However, there remains a need in the confectionery industry for productsand product components which offer a different and unusual sensoryexperience.

Accordingly, in a first embodiment of the invention there is provided aconfectionery product comprising a plurality of beads, each beadcomprising an aqueous core, a hydrophobic first coating layersurrounding the aqueous core, and a hydrophilic second coating layersurrounding the first coating layer.

The provision of a stable aqueous bead allows for the inclusion of suchbeads in comestible products, particularly in confectionery productswhere they can offer a pleasing “liquid burst” or other sensation duringconsumption.

In a further embodiment of the invention, there is also provided amethod of preparing a confectionery product comprising the steps of:

-   -   a. preparing an emulsion of an aqueous core material and a        hydrophobic first coating material;    -   b. forming droplets of emulsion, thereby providing a droplet        with an aqueous core and a hydrophobic first coating layer;    -   c. coating the droplets with a second coating material to form        an bead with a second coating layer surrounding the first        coating layer; and    -   d. incorporating a plurality of beads into the confectionery        product.

In an additional embodiment, there is provided a confectionery beadcomprising at least one aqueous core, a hydrophobic first coating layercomprising an emulsion and/or fat surrounding the at least one aqueouscore, and a hydrophilic second coating layer surrounding the firstcoating layer.

In this embodiment, the term “aqueous core”, in relation to a firstcoating comprising an emulsion, is intended to mean a portion of thebead which is substantially larger than the water droplets which areequally dispersed throughout the oil phase of the emulsion.

In a yet further embodiment, there is provided a method of preparing aconfectionery bead comprising the steps of:

-   -   a. preparing an emulsion of an aqueous core material and a        hydrophobic first coating material;    -   b. forming droplets of emulsion, thereby providing a droplet        with an aqueous core and a hydrophobic first coating layer; and    -   c. coating the droplets with a second coating material to form        an bead with a second coating layer surrounding the first        coating layer.

Step (b) of the method may comprise a number of means for forming adroplet with an aqueous core and a hydrophobic first coating layer. Step(b) may comprise heating the emulsion to a temperature sufficient toallow the emulsion to flow, forming small droplets of the emulsion, andcooling the droplets to a temperature sufficient to solidify theemulsion. Forming the small droplets may be by means of a simplydispensing emulsion from a nozzle and subsequently cooling the dropletsin a refrigerant or a cooling apparatus. Forming the droplets mayinvolve some form of processing so as to allow disassociation of theaqueous material from the hydrophobic material in the emulsion. The actof cooling the droplets may facilitate such a disassociation. Step (b)may be implemented by means of a jet-cutting process.

Components

The bead typically comprises at least an aqueous core, a hydrophobicfirst coating layer, and a hydrophilic second coating layer. Additionallayers may be present in some embodiments, these may be hydrophobic orhydrophilic. However, it is envisaged that the aqueous core will alwaysbe surrounded directly by a hydrophobic first coating layer as describedherein.

In one embodiment, the first coating later comprises an emulsion. Theemulsion may comprise a water-in-oil emulsion. Such a water-in-oilemulsion may form the first coating layer which coats one or moreaqueous cores (such as water droplets). If desired, anoil-in-water-in-oil emulsion may be employed. The second coatingmaterial may be a soft-panned sugar or sugar substitute coating.

Aqueous Core Material

The aqueous core material may be water, a combination of water andcarbohydrate, and suspensions of materials in water. Further, the coremay contain other wholly or partially dissolved solutes. The solutes maybe selected from sweeteners (including bulk and intense sweeteners),cooling agents, carboxylic acid salts, colourings, flavourings, warmingagents, tingling agents, taste potentiators, umami, kokumi, saltiness,breath fresheners, oral care products (including tooth whiteners, stainremovers, anti-calculus agents, remineralisation agents and anti-plaqueagents), pharmaceuticals (including medications, herbs, and nutritionalsupplements), antibacterial agents, preservatives, antioxidants, andcombinations thereof.

It is particularly preferred that the solutes are selected fromsweeteners, cooling agents, colourings and/or flavourings. However insome embodiments the core may additionally or alternatively include oralcare products and/or pharmaceuticals. The presence of these componentswould offer a product with health benefits.

Where present the sweeteners preferably comprise from 1-99 wt % of theaqueous core material, often 5-95 wt %, in some instances 15-90 wt %,alternatively 25-75 wt % of the aqueous core material. Where it isdesirable that the aqueous core material be of high viscosity, this maybe achieved by increasing the level of sweetener solute or selection ofan appropriate higher molecular weight carbohydrate, particularly wherethe sweetener is a sugar compound. An aqueous core containing highlevels of sugar will form a viscous sugar syrup.

Suitable sugars for use in the present invention include, by way ofexample, those selected from the groups comprising monosaccharides,disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Suitable monosaccharides typicallyhave from three to six carbon atoms in the ring structure. Suitabledisaccharides may be selected from, for example, sucrose, lactose,maltose, trehalose, or cellobiose. Suitable oligo- or polysaccharidesmay be selected from, for example, glucose syrups or maltodextrins.

Preferred sugars are those selected from monosaccharide (for example,galactose, glucose, mannose, fructose, or tagatose) and disaccharide(for example, sucrose, lactose, maltose, trehalose or cellobiose)carbohydrates. The sugars may be used alone or in any suitablecombination.

Sugar alcohols may also be present in the aqueous core material of theinvention. Sugar alcohols are a hydrogenated or partially hydrogenatedform of carbohydrate in which the carbonyl group (aldehyde or ketone) isreduced to a primary or secondary hydroxyl group. Sugar alcohols may beused as replacements for all sugars and glucose syrups in foodstuffs,and may be combined with high intensity artificial sweeteners (such asaspartame for example) to counter their low sweetness. Suitable sugaralcohols may include those derived from disaccharides ormonosaccharides, for instance, erythritol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol,mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, or any combination thereof and alsomaltitol syrups and polyglycitols. Particularly preferred sugar alcoholsinclude maltitol, xylitol, mannitol, erythritol, sorbitol and maltitolsyrup.

In some embodiments the aqueous core material may offer a coolingeffect, in such instances it is preferred that this is obtained byadding a sugar alcohol to the aqueous core material, although any knowncooling agent may be used. The sugar alcohols which are most preferredfor providing the desired cooling effect are sorbitol, xylitol anderythritol. It is also preferred that any sugar alcohol present beincluded as small crystals, as it is this crystalline form which offersthe most effective cooling sensation upon consumption.

Where added to provide a cooling effect, it is preferred that the sugaralcohol comprise from 10-99 wt % of the aqueous core material, often60-90 wt %, in some instances 65-80 wt %, of the aqueous core material.

The level of flavouring and colouring used, where present, will dependheavily upon the nature of the flavouring or colouring and the intensitydesired in any particular application, as would be readily understood bythe person skilled in the art. However, in general, the flavouring orcolouring are each independently present in amounts from 0.001-5.0 wt %and, more specifically, from 0.05-4.0 wt %, and even more specifically,0.1-3.0 wt % of the aqueous core.

The core material may be a liquid, gel, or semi-solid. It is generallypreferred that the viscosity of the core be in the range 1-250,000centipoise, as measured using a Brookfield viscometer at 25° C. In manyinstances, the viscosity will be in the range 1-50,000 cps, often100-10,000 cps.

As noted above, the core material may be a liquid at typical roomtemperatures such as at temperatures in the range 15-25° C. In suchembodiments, a liquid burst sensation is offered upon consumption.Preferably, however, the liquid core material of these embodiments isliquid at temperatures in the range 5-90° C., in particular 0.5-100° C.to allow the beads to be subjected to a large flexibility of processingand storage conditions without any damage to the bead such as wouldarise from solidification of the aqueous core, or vaporisation, both ofwhich lead to expansion of the core and rupturing of the bead.

Preferably the viscosity of a liquid core material will be in the range1-1000 centipoise, in some examples 1-200 cps as a less viscous liquidwill have a greater “liquid burst” impact upon rupturing of the bead.

Where the aqueous core material is a gel or semi-solid the core isintended to be gelatinous or semi-solid at room temperature as describedabove. However, providing that the gel or semi-solid core material isstable to processing at higher temperatures, and that the structure willreform once cooled, it is not necessary for the aqueous core to remainas a gel or semi-solid at processing temperatures (for instance, attemperatures in the range 5-90° C., in particular 0.5-100° C.). As such,beads containing a semi-solid or gelatinous core may also be subjectedto a wide range of processing and storage conditions without any damageto the bead.

Increasing the viscosity of the aqueous core may be desirable in orderto offer an alternative sensory experience upon consumption. As higherviscosity cores dissipate more slowly in the mouth, the flavour, coolingor other sensation will linger on the palate once the bead has ruptured.This may be desirable in some applications, in particular where thebeads have not been incorporated into a comestible product, but arebeing sold and consumed as a product per se. In such cases, a lingeringof taste will not interact with or mask the other flavours of acomestible into which the bead has been incorporated, and may bedesirable to prolong the sensory effect of the bead after rupturing ordissolution.

Where the aqueous core is in the form of a gel or semi-solid it ispreferred that the viscosity of the core be in the range 5000-250,000cps. In many embodiments the viscosity will be in the range10,000-100,000 cps for a semi-solid aqueous core and in the range100,000-200,000 or 250,000 cps for a gel.

Hydrophobic First Coating Layer

The hydrophobic first coating layer surrounds the aqueous core. It ispreferred that this layer comprise an oil or a fat. In some examples thehydrophobic first layer will be selected from animal fat, vegetable fat,cocoa butter, and combinations thereof. The presence of cocoa butter,whether alone or possibly in combination with animal and/or vegetablefat is preferred. It is particularly preferred that the aqueous core bea carbohydrate syrup and the hydrophobic first coating layer be cocoabutter.

Typically, the hydrophobic first coating layer will have a melting pointin the range 30-40° C., often in the range 30-35° C. A melting point inthis range is desirable as the first coating layer will be solid attypical room temperatures facilitating storage and processing but willmelt in the mouth to release the aqueous core.

The aqueous core material is typically in the range 20-85 wt %, often40-80 wt %, in preferred examples 60-75 wt % of the aqueous corematerial and hydrophobic first coating layer mixture.

In some embodiments, not all of the aqueous material will disassociatecompletely from the hydrophobic material and therefore, the firsthydrophobic coating layer may comprise, or additionally comprise anemulsion.

Hydrophilic Second Coating Layer

The hydrophilic second coating layer is preferably solid, this layer maybe a soft or hard coating within the meaning known in the confectioneryart and understood by the person skilled in the art. In particular, thehydrophilic second coating layer may be a soft or hard panned coatinglayer, often a sugar coating. The presence of a solid outer coatingmaintains the integrity of the bead during storage and incorporationinto comestible products. This is particularly important as the firstcoating layer will often be in a liquid state at the processingtemperatures used.

The hydrophilic second coating layer may also optionally containsweeteners (including bulk and intense sweeteners), cooling agents,carboxylic acid salts, colourings, flavourings, warming agents, tinglingagents, taste potentiators, umami, kokumi, saltiness, breath fresheners,oral care products (including tooth whiteners, stain removers,anti-calculus agents, remineralisation agents and anti-plaque agents),pharmaceuticals (including medications, herbs, and nutritionalsupplements), antibacterial agents, preservatives, antioxidants, andcombinations thereof.

In some embodiments it is preferred that the hydrophilic second coatingmaterial offer a cooling effect, in such instances, this will typicallybe obtained by adding a sugar alcohol to the hydrophilic second coatingcomposition.

Where present, either to offer a cooling effect or as a bulk sweetener,the sugar alcohol will typically be derived from a disaccharide ormonosaccharide, for instance, erythritol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol,mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, or any combination thereof. Particularlypreferred sugar alcohols include maltitol, xylitol, mannitol, erythritoland sorbitol. The sugar alcohols which are most preferred for providingthe desired cooling effect are sorbitol, xylitol and erythritol. It isalso generally desirable that any sugar alcohol present be included assmall crystals, as it is this crystalline form which offers the mosteffective cooling sensation upon consumption.

Where added to provide a cooling effect, it is preferred that the sugaralcohol (and/or other cooling agent) comprise from 10-99 wt % of thehydrophilic second coating layer, often 60-90 wt % and in some instances5-100 wt %, of the hydrophilic second coating layer.

These optional components will be present at levels typical for coatingsof this nature. For instance, where present, the level of flavouring andcolouring used, will depend heavily upon the nature of the flavouring orcolouring and the intensity of flavour/colour required, as would bereadily understood by the person skilled in the art. However, ingeneral, the flavouring or colouring are each independently present inamounts from 0.001-5.0 wt % and, more specifically, from 0.05-4.0 wt %,and even more specifically, 0.1-3.0 wt % of the hydrophilic secondcoating layer.

The sweeteners may optionally be selected from those described abovewith reference to the aqueous core material. The bead may, in someinstances, be substantially sugar free.

The bead will typically be of diameter in the range about 0.1-about 10mm, often in the range about 0.5-about 5 mm, in some embodiments in therange about 1-about 3 mm. The axis of measurement of the diameter is thediameter across the longest axis of the bead.

The relative proportions of the aqueous core, hydrophobic first coatinglayer and hydrophilic second coating layer may be varied as appropriatefor the specific application of the bead as would be known to the personskilled in the art. However, typically the aqueous core will comprisefrom 10-87 wt %, often from 30-70 wt % of the bead. The first coatinglayer will comprise 3-30 wt % and preferably 5-20 wt % of the bead, andthe second coating layer will comprise 10-60 wt %, often 15-45 wt % ofthe bead.

When consumed the bead will typically offer a soft or crunchy textureupon initial bite, followed by a sweetness which wanes as thehydrophilic second coating layer dissolves. Where the aqueous core is asweet centre, this is followed by a second wave of sweetness as thehydrophobic first coating layer dissolves and the aqueous core isreleased.

In one especially preferred embodiment, the aqueous core will containcooling agents. Where this is the case the particularly pleasantsensation of cooling is released when the bead is ruptured, or where theouter layers are dissolved. In some instances, both the hydrophobicsecond coating layer and the aqueous core will include cooling agents.Where this is the case a sensation of cooling may be followed bywarming, followed by further cooling is obtained as the bead dissolvesin the mouth. Such a sensation is not only unusual, but also soothingand pleasing to the consumer.

Comestibles

The comestible of the invention will preferably be a confectioneryproduct. The confectionery product may be a candy, chocolate, chewinggum product or a combination thereof.

Candy products are products which are generally primarily sugar based,for instance, chewy candy, hard boiled candy, jelly candy and othercandies, specific examples of which include caramel, toffee, fudge,praline, tablet, gumdrops, jelly beans, rock candy, lollipops, taffy,cotton candy, candy canes, peppermint sticks, peanut brittle, suckingcandy, lozenges and candy bars. Additionally, the candy may be coatedwith a hard or soft shell and/or centre-filled.

The comestible may also be a chewing gum, which may be uncoated orcoated with a hard or soft shell. Further, as with candy comestibles,the chewing gum may be centre-filled.

Chocolate products are those which are generally primarily cocoa basedand include, for instance, white, milk and dark chocolate and productswhich are primarily formed of chocolate, for instance, productsincluding dispersions of secondary ingredients such as fruit, nuts,nougat or the inventive beads. Chocolate-style products include thosemade from chocolate alternatives such as carob.

Combination products would include, for instance, chocolate coatedcandies and candy centred chewing gums.

The beads may comprise in the range 0.01-95 wt % of the confectioneryproduct, often 0.01-50 wt %, in some embodiments 0.01-10 wt %. Further,the beads may be substantially evenly distributed throughout the productto provide a taste sensation (such as a liquid burst) which occursthroughout consumption of the product (for instance in every bite), andwhich has a slightly delayed onset, the flavour of the bead beingdetected after the flavour of the product per se. Alternatively, thebeads may be present in one region or zone only. For instance, the beadsmay be present in the chewing gum zone of a centre-fill chewing gumonly. Alternatively, the beads may be present in a chocolate zone onlyof a toffee and chocolate product, or vice versa. In addition, within azone, or within the product as a whole, the beads may be found mostly inone region, for instance along one side of a chocolate product.

As used herein the term “region” is intended to refer to a part of aproduct which is substantially continuous with other parts of theproduct and for which there is no clearly defined demarcation betweenregions. For instance, within a chocolate bar regions could be definedby spatial position, so that there could be a region at the left end, orthe top. Such a region may or may not contain a higher density of beadsthan other regions. Conversely, when used herein the term “zone” isintended to refer to a continuous area which differs in some respectfrom adjacent zones, and for which the transition between zones isreadily evident. For instance, a centre-fill, coated, chewing gum pellethas three distinct zones, the centre fill, the chewing gum and thecoating.

In some products the bead will be substantially entirely encased withinthe product, offering a sensory experience (such as, where the aqueouscore is liquid, a liquid burst) with a delayed onset and which willcontinue for a longer chew period. In other embodiments the beads may beat least partially adhered to or embedded on the surface the product sothat the sensory experience of the bead is provided when the product isfirst placed in the mouth.

The product will often be opaque, but it is sometimes preferred that itbe partially or wholly transparent or translucent. In such embodimentsit is preferred that the beads be opaque and optionally coloured toprovide a pleasing aesthetic appearance to the product. It isparticularly preferred that the product be partially or whollytransparent or translucent where the product is a candy product, such asa hard candy, and wherein the beads are encased within the candy productas this offers a particularly pleasing visual effect. In such cases itis often preferred that the candy be wholly transparent or translucent.

Where the bead includes flavourings, the product and the bead may beselected so as to have complementary flavours, for instance a chewinggum product could be prepared wherein the gum has a vanilla flavour andthe beads contain a liquid core so that a liquid burst of strawberryflavour is provided during chew. Alternatively, a chocolate bar couldcontain a region of whisky flavoured beads, or a hard lemon candy couldincorporate honey flavoured beads. Further, chewing gums are envisagedwhich have a mild flavour and contain the “cooling” beads describedabove (i.e. beads in which the aqueous core material and the hydrophilicsecond coating layer include a cooling agent). Such a gum would offer apleasant mild tasting chew interspersed with periods of strong coolingas a bead is ruptured or a layer within the bead dissolved.

Optional Components

The comestible of the invention may include a variety of optionalcomponents as would be familiar to one skilled in the art, at levelstypical for the nature of the components. The optional components may beused alone or in combination and include, for instance, sweeteners(including bulk and intense sweeteners), cooling agents, carboxylic acidsalts, colourings, flavourings, warming agents, tingling agents, tastepotentiators, umami, kokumi, saltiness, lubricants, breath fresheners,oral care products (including tooth whiteners, stain removers,anti-calculus agents, remineralisation agents and anti-plaque agents),pharmaceuticals (including medications, herbs, and nutritionalsupplements), antibacterial agents, preservatives, antioxidants, andcombinations thereof.

Preparation

The beads may be prepared by any conventional micro capsulation methodknown in the art. In addition, the beads may be prepared using anice-quenching technique or a jet cutting technique.

In many embodiments an emulsion of the aqueous core material and thehydrophobic first coating material will be formed at a temperature abovethe melting point of the hydrophobic first coating material. Theemulsion formed is preferably a “water-in-oil” type emulsion. Often thetemperature used will be only slightly above the melting temperature ofthe highest melting point component (where the aqueous core is in liquidform this will be the hydrophobic first coating material; where theaqueous core is a gel, this may be either the gel or the hydrophobicfirst coating material), for instance in the range 40-60° C., in someexamples 40-50° C. The use of such temperatures minimises energy wastagewhilst ensuring that both the aqueous core material and the hydrophobicfirst coating material are in liquid form so that emulsion formation anddroplet formation is facilitated.

Droplets of emulsion will then be formed, for instance by cooling tobelow the melting point of the hydrophobic first coating material. Thiswill preferably be achieved by cooling in water.

Once formed, it is preferred that the droplets are stored at atemperature below the melting point of the hydrophobic first coatingmaterial to prevent disintegration of the droplet and release of theaqueous core material. In many instances, the droplets will be stored ata temperature below 25° C., often at a temperature in the range 0-20°C., in many cases at a temperature in the range 5-18° C., preferably attemperature in the range 10-15° C. as this latter temperature has beenfound to offer droplet stability without requiring the expenditure ofunnecessary energy in cooling the droplets.

In some instances it may be desirable to coat the droplets with a powderto prevent adhesion. The powder may be any powder compatible with theintended use of the bead. In many cases it may be preferable to coat thedroplets with a substantially flavourless, non-aromatic powder, howeverwhere the droplet is a sweet droplet, a sweet powder may be preferableand where the droplet is a sour droplet a sour powder may be preferable.In some embodiments it may be appropriate to mix different types offlavour to create flavour mixtures or simply to modify the levels ofsweetness, sourness or other flavours present in the droplet. Powderswhich could be used to prevent adhesion include finely powdered sugar(such as icing sugar), powders containing alternative sweeteners, citricacid powder or combinations thereof.

The droplets are then coated with a second coating material. The coatingmaterial may be applied using any conventional technique known in theart but will preferably be applied using a panning process, typically asoft panning process although hard panning techniques may also beapplied.

The resulting bead may then be consumed without further processing, forinstance as a refreshing confectionery product or incorporated into acomestible product, for instance a confectionery product as describedabove.

A confectionery product containing the inventive beads may be preparedby embedding one or more beads on the surface of the product; mixing oneor more beads into at least a portion of the product so that they aresubstantially entirely encased within the product; or a combinationthereof. For these purposes the beads may be treated and processed in amanner similar to many other confectionery ingredients such as toffeechunks, nougat chunks, nuts or fruit pieces. However, the beads have theadvantage that they are stable to a high temperature, allowingprocessing and incorporation into, for instance, hard candies withoutany degradation of the bead. It is preferred that the beads be stable upto a temperature of about 80° C., preferably 90° C. or 100° C. As aresult, the beads can be processed at temperatures in the range 70-80°C., as is required for the production of hard candies.

Unless otherwise stated each of the integers described in the inventionmay be used in combination with any other integer as would be understoodby the person skilled in the art. Further, although all aspects of theinvention preferably “comprise” the features described in relation tothat aspect, it is specifically envisaged that they may “consist” or“consist essentially” of those features outlined in the claims.

Unless otherwise stated all percentages appearing in the specificationare percentages by weight of the composition being described. Inaddition, unless otherwise stated, all numerical values appearing inthis application are to be understood as being modified by the term“about”.

EXAMPLES

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, itwill be described further with reference to the specific examples andthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a bead in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a bead in accordance witha second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a bead in accordance witha third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a bead in accordance witha fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a simplified cross-sectional view of a confectionery productincorporating a plurality of beads in accordance with the presentinvention.

With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a simplified view of a bead 10which has an aqueous core 12 surrounded by a hydrophobic layer 14 formedfrom an emulsion. The hydrophobic layer 14 is in turn surrounded by ahydrophilic layer 16 formed of a soft-panned sugar coating.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a simplified view of a secondembodiment of a bead 20 which has small multiple aqueous portions 22dispersed throughout a large hydrophobic emulsion portion 24. Thehydrophobic emulsion 24 is surrounded by a hydrophilic layer 26 formedof a soft-panned sugar coating.

In FIG. 3, there is illustrated a simplified view of a third embodimentof a bead 30 which has small multiple aqueous portions 32 dispersedthroughout a hydrophobic fat portion 34. The hydrophobic fat portion 34is surrounded by a hydrophilic layer 36 formed of a soft-panned sugarcoating.

With reference to FIG. 4, there is shown a simplified view of a fourthembodiment of a bead 40 which has a number of small aqueous portions 46,each of which are surrounded by a hydrophobic layer 44 which is formedfrom an emulsion 46. The aqueous portions 46 which are surrounded by thehydrophobic layers 44 are dispersed throughout a fat portion 42. Thehydrophobic fat portion 42 is surrounded by a hydrophilic layer 48formed of a soft-panned sugar coating.

Lastly, with reference to FIG. 5, there is shown a simplified view of aconfectionery product 50 in the form of a chocolate bar 52 whichincorporates two beads 10 of the first embodiment as described above.Alternatively, or additionally, a plurality of beads as illustrated inFIGS. 2-4 could be included in the chocolate bar 52.

Ice Quenching

The beads of the invention may be prepared using an ice-quenchingtechnique. An emulsion of aqueous core material and hydrophobic firstcoating material may be prepared using standard techniques (forinstance, mixing) at a temperature of about 45° C. The aqueous corematerial in this example is an aqueous 10% sugar solution and the firstcoating material is cocoa butter.

The emulsion is deposited drop wise into iced water thereby causingdroplets to form as the cocoa butter solidifies. The droplet size is inthe range 1-3 mm. The solid droplets are then filtered from the icedwater, dried and coated with icing sugar to prevent sticking.

The coated droplets are soft panned to produce a soft coating byplacement in a coating pan and coating with an appropriate carbohydratesyrup, for example, a combination of sucrose syrup and glucose syrup ora solution of maltitol powder and maltitol syrup. The droplets may againbe coated with icing sugar or suitable polyol and this two-step processrepeated until a sugar layer has been built up on the fat dropletsresulting in an bead of the invention. Alternatively a hard panningprocess may be used with the appropriate carbohydrates.

Jet Cutting

The beads of the invention may be prepared using a jet cutting techniquesuch as discussed in DE 442-4998 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,699 (both toKlaus-Dieter Vorlop) the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

An emulsion of aqueous core material and hydrophobic first coatingmaterial may be first prepared using standard techniques at atemperature of about 45° C. The aqueous core material in this example isan aqueous 8% sugar solution containing 0.2% strawberry flavouring andthe first coating material is cocoa butter.

The emulsion is then ejected under pressure from a nozzle andmechanically separated into defined slugs. Division occurs by thephysical removal of sections of the jet, leaving distinct slugs ofemulsion to continue along the trajectory of the original jet. The slugsof emulsion reorder themselves to become approximately spherical beforethey are passed into a hardening environment such as a refrigeratedportion of the cutting apparatus.

Due to partial separation of the constituents of the emulsion duringprocessing, the droplets formed are in the configuration of smallconfectionery beads comprising one or more aqueous cores which aresurrounded by the emulsion. In this example, each bead is roughlyspherically formed from an emulsion of the aqueous 8% sugar solutioncontaining 0.2% strawberry flavouring and cocoa butter—where the aqueoussugar solution (and optionally) the 0.2% strawberry flavouring partiallydisassociates from the emulsion so as to form small pockets of aqueousmaterial throughout the emulsion. However, the example can be adapted sothat only a single pocket of aqueous material is disposed within theemulsion.

The droplets may then be soft or hard panned as described above.

Example Bead Composition

A bead is prepared in accordance with the invention from the componentslisted below using the ice quenching technique described above:

Component Approximate Level Aqueous core of:   60 wt % of the entirebead 15 wt % solution of sugar in water 99.3 wt % of the aqueous coreStrawberry flavour  0.5 wt % of the aqueous core Carmoisine colouring(red)  0.2 wt % of the aqueous core Hydrophobic first coating layer of:  15 wt % of the entire bead Cocoa butter  100 wt % of the hydrophobicfirst coating layer Hydrophilic second coating layer of:   25 wt % ofthe entire bead 40 wt % solution of sugar in water   50 wt % of thehydrophilic second coating Icing sugar   50 wt % of the hydrophilicsecond coatingExample Cooling Bead Composition

A bead is prepared in accordance with the invention from the componentslisted below using the jet cutting technique described above:

Component Approximate Level Aqueous core of:  50 wt % of the entire beadAcesulfame-K  1 wt % of the aqueous core Xylitol  50 wt % of the aqueouscore Mint flavour  0.5 wt % of the aqueous core Water QS Hydrophobicfirst coating layer of:  20 wt % of the entire bead Cocoa butter 100 wt% of the hydrophobic first coating layer Hydrophilic second coatinglayer of:  30 wt % of the entire bead 40 wt % solution of xylitol, and 2wt %  50 wt % of the hydrophilic acesulfame-K in water second coatingIcing sugar  50 wt % of the hydrophilic second coatingExample Chewing Gum Composition Containing Beads

A chewing gum tablet is prepared using conventional techniques. Thebeads of the invention are incorporated into the gum base by mixinguntil evenly distributed.

Component Approximate Level (wt %) Gum base 27.27 Raspberry Flavouredbeads 5.0 Sorbitol 55 Xylitol 6.0 Acesulfame-K/aspartame 1.2 Peachflavouring 3.6 Colloidal silica 0.49 Magnesium stearate 1.44Example Candy Composition Containing Beads

A hard candy is prepared by adding the beads to a molten sugar candycomposition at a temperature of approximately 75° C. and mixing untilevenly distributed. The candy is then poured into moulds to cool. Theresulting hard candy is translucent pink through which the pink beadsare visible. The composition is as outlined below.

Component Approximate Level (wt %) Sugar 42.7 Polydextrose 34.8 Citricacid 0.2 Cherry flavour 0.1 Red Coloured beads 8.0 CanthaxanthinColouring (pink) 0.05 Water 14.15

It should be appreciated that the compositions and methods of theinvention are capable of being incorporated in the form of a variety ofembodiments, only a few of which have been illustrated and describedabove.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A confectionery product comprising aplurality of beads, each bead comprising an aqueous core, a hydrophobicfirst coating layer surrounding the aqueous core, and a hydrophilicsecond coating layer surrounding the first coating layer wherein theaqueous core comprises a sweetener in an amount of 5% to 95% of theaqueous core and wherein the aqueous core is a liquid and has aviscosity of 1-1000 centipoise as measured using a Brookfield viscometerat 25° C., wherein the hydrophilic second coating layer is a pannedsugar coating.
 2. A confectionery product according to claim 1 whereinthe diameter of the bead is in the range about 0.5 mm-about 5 mm.
 3. Aconfectionery product according to claim 1 wherein the hydrophobic firstcoating layer comprises an oil or a fat.
 4. A confectionery productaccording to claim 1 wherein the hydrophobic first coating layer has amelting point in the range 30-40° C.
 5. A confectionery productaccording to claim 1 wherein the aqueous core is a carbohydrate syrupand the hydrophobic first coating layer is cocoa butter.
 6. Aconfectionery product according to claim 1 wherein the second coatinglayer is a soft panned coating layer.
 7. A confectionery productaccording to claim 1, wherein the product is selected from a chocolateproduct, candy, chewing gum or combination thereof.
 8. A confectioneryproduct according to claim 1, comprising 0.01-10 wt % of the beads.
 9. Aconfectionery product according to claim 7 comprising beads embedded onthe surface of the product.
 10. A confectionery product according toclaim 7 wherein the product is partially or wholly transparent ortranslucent, and wherein at least some of the beads are opaque.